


The sound of silence

by FreeShavocadoo



Series: Demon deals AU [10]
Category: HiGH&LOW (Movies), HiGH&LOW: the Story of S.W.O.R.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, M/M, Multi, Plot Twists, Revelations, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeShavocadoo/pseuds/FreeShavocadoo
Summary: In the future, Kohaku faces hard truths.In the present, Lee and Ryu piece together what little they know, Nikaido makes his move and Ranmaru suffers from his terrible luck.Elsewhere, Kato and Hyuga have an interesting development in their relationship.





	The sound of silence

_Sitting in Mugen’s abandoned headquarters was a favourite pastime now for Kohaku, sitting and gazing at the wall that seemed to mock him. Forever, infinity, friendship. All seemed like lost causes, now. Lee’s words plague him, wondering at what point his word seemed to be shaped around the supernatural rather than a simple love for riding his motorcycle and staying close to the person that meant most to him, to watch his family grow and thrive, for a brief time. It was his second nature to wallow at this point, slumping in his seat and glaring at the wall, as though if he glared long enough it would crumble, the last reminder of a past life too good to be true for him now. Talking to Lee all those years ago and making the deal was both the best and worst decision of his life, at least now being aware of the underlying notions in Sword now, nothing being as it actually seemed._

_‘You’re making a terrible decision’, Lee had said, ‘you don’t know about Tsukumo-san, do you?’._

_The more Kohaku thought about it the more his head began to spin, knowing very little about Kuryu but enough to now catch on to what Kohaku was implying. Tsukumo, an angel? It seemed absurd, the man who had almost crashed his motorbike so carelessly all those years ago. Who had decided to seek him out to thank him and berate him for paying his hospital bills, not content with having people do anything for him since he wasn’t used to it. Though, like Lee had said, he had survived more than one event that should’ve been otherwise not survivable. Kohaku doesn’t doubt that this won’t be the last time Tsukumo’s skill of avoiding sudden death will be needed, yet the prospect of having to face him again and attempt to make sense of this information with him seems inconceivable. The fact that he’d never mentioned it should worsen Kohaku’s mood yet in a way he knows it makes sense, why would Tsukumo tell him such a thing? He’d been too busy trying to clean up Kohaku’s mess when Tatsuya had left to start up Itokan, only worsening his downward spiral when he let everyone who wanted to be in Mugen join them. They’ve both got a lot to answer for._

_“Kohaku.”_

_Snapped out of his thoughts, Kohaku wonders if he’s been asleep this entire time, the voice too instantly recognisable to be mistaken for anyone else in the world. Though, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s seen him when he’s awake. Tatsuya. Yet, there he stands, looking exactly as he had the day Kohaku had shouted his name before he dropped the floor, a car speeding past. He smiles, the same good-natured smile that exudes calmness and serenity, something Kohaku could never hope to emulate._

_“Seems you’ve gotten yourself into a pretty big mess.” He says, eyes crinkling as he stands with his hands in his pocket, always looking so youthful for his age._

_“Why would you say that?” Kohaku replies, aware of the irrationality of having a conversation with someone that is a product of his own imagination, his own guilty conscience. Yet in a way, it brings him some comfort._

_“You’re about to burn out, Kohaku.” Tatsuya’s face seems to soften, though more in sadness than anything else. He shakes his head slowly, as if the notion of Kohaku burning out was worth scolding him or being upset with him for. Yet somehow, just that small gesture is enough to make most of Kohaku’s resolve crumble._

_“My resolve is stronger than ever.” Kohaku’s voice is thankfully steadier than he expected it to be and for a moment, he almost tricks himself into believing the words spilling out of his own mouth, as though they aren’t escaping out of his own volition._

_“I wish I could believe that.” Tatsuya smiles sadly. “Most people without a soul don’t have much of anything at all left in them.”_

_“How do you-,” Kohaku’s eyes widen, before the realisation that if this is another attempt at easing his conscience via hallucination, like he had done so many times before, then of course Tatsuya would know. Though there’s something about the way Tatsuya looks that is distinctly different from his usual fevered hallucinations. He makes more sense, his voice is firmer, the edges around him less soft and instead looking sharper. Like its high definition._

_“I know everything about you, Kohaku. I always have.” He says simply, like it is a fact with no possibility to be proven wrong. “If you want to go down the road you’re on, you have to make sacrifices. I’m not sure you’ll want to make some of them.”_

_“What do you mean?” Kohaku’s voice shakes, his mind whirring as he tries to fathom what more he could sacrifice before he gets what he wants._

_“Tsukumo, of course.” Tatsuya’s hands remain in his pockets as he blinks slowly. “He’s a danger to you if he wakes up.”_

_“Tsukumo could never be a danger to me.” Kohaku’s tone is resolute, though he starts to question the sentiment behind Tatsuya’s statement, attempting to imagine how Tsukumo of all people could ever be dangerous to him regardless of the revelation that he is an angel._

_“If all he lives to do is protect you, Kohaku, then he’ll never let you go down your path of revenge.” Tatsuya’s voice is faint and in the brief moment Kohaku takes to eye the Mugen symbol on the wall, when he turns, Tatsuya is gone. His head doesn’t hurt the way it usually would after one of his feverish hallucinations, though the realisations he’s come to hurt his head in a different way entirely. The prospect of having to debate the future of his friend’s life and involvement weighs heavily already, though Tatsuya’s words as always, take precedent._

* * *

 

 

As always, when Ice is absent from his small apartment, the noise level is considerably lower even with Lee present. Unlike Ice, Lee is content to sprawl on the couch and stretch comfortably, lying and humming at an almost inaudible level to himself with the occasional chuckle, like he was having a conversation with someone who wasn’t there. Ryu choses to sit and drink tea, head swimming with all of the recent developments such as Jesse’s possession. The thoughts are troubling, especially with Ryu being more than aware of Jesse’s temperament and background. Of course, in a way, that makes the entire ordeal make more sense.

“Do you think they chose Jesse deliberately?” Ryu muses, glancing at Lee who halts his quiet humming to glance back at Ryu. For some reason, being given Lee’s full attention makes Ryu feel both important and uncomfortable, knowing all too well Lee’s tendency to go from 0 to 100 when he’s in a teasing mood.

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind, Ryu-san.” Lee stretches once more, looking oddly youthful in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms. The sight would almost be funny if it wasn’t oddly endearing, his platinum hair sticking up in all directions with a suitably tired expression on his face.

“Can you even _get_ tired?” Ryu can’t help but interject, raising a perfect eyebrow at the usually impeccable Lee who seems to be too at ease to care much, though Ryu doesn’t doubt if he wanted to intimidate anyone he’d cut an impressive figure regardless of his attire.

“Of course I can,” Lee yawns, rubbing at his eyes, “since it’s technically my own body I can still get tired. Admittedly it’s probably an after effect of spending so much time with Ice.”

“Hmm. I’d never thought of it like that.” Ryu stares thoughtfully into space until he feels Lee’s eyes on him, turning to see the familiar smirk spread across Lee’s face, his eyes twinkling.

“Sweet Ryu, you _wouldn’t_. You’re practically a robot.” Lee teases, sitting up properly, at which point Ryu notices the t-shirt he’s wearing is one Ice bought years ago when he’d first started earning money, scruffy round the edges but one of his favourites still. He can’t tell if Lee has just stolen it in typical Lee fashion or if Ice has given it to him, either being probable.

“Hm. Why do you think they chose Jesse, then?” Ryu is genuinely curious, with Lee always having seemingly good insight, though he for some reason neglects to share it until the last possible minute. Ryu knows it’s probably because he loves being asked for his opinion so much, no doubt revelling in his status as the ‘all-knowing’ one of the bunch. _Idiot._

“Simple. He’s expendable,” Lee frowns a little, the light seeming to reflect yellow in his eyes, “who would bother questioning that a boy with a violent history and character suddenly lands himself in prison?”

“I understand that much. What I don’t understand is _why_. It’s not as if the demon possessing him accomplished anything of use that I can note, anyway. So why bother?” There is momentary silence, Lee sighing softly.

“It tells us one thing and one thing only.” He stands up, running his fingers through his hair and smoothing it down. “That Kuryu isn’t made up only of angels.”

“How can that be possible? They despise demons. Surely, I’d have noticed?” Ryu’s voice betrays his uncertainty, feeling oddly vulnerable and more of a liability now. The prospect of having not even realised after frequent visits to Kuryu meetings that there were demons present, that they may have been collaborating, makes him feel completely useless. Even more so when compared to Lee’s surprisingly level head and sound knowledge and interpretations.

“Ryu,” Lee sits beside him, so close their thighs are touching and Ryu can feel the warmth radiating off him, the lack of honorific leaving Ryu feeling more vulnerable, “it’s perfectly normal. If they have been working together for a while then naturally, you’d be unaware. I imagine those ranking higher than yourself are the only ones aware of the full extent.”

“Even so, I’ve had contact with many of the men in Kuryu-,” Ryu slumps a little, overwhelmed with the implication that demons have been walking around in Kuryu and he was none the wiser. Lee’s hand on his back is oddly comforting, rubbing small circles. The gesture is so human, so loaded with emotion, it almost cripples Ryu as much as the revelation.

“Really, Ryu, if demons don’t want to be identified they won’t. I’ve had plenty of angels mistake me for one of their own and plenty of demons assume I’m just a crossroads demon.” Lee moves Ryu swiftly, Ryu’s head now resting on Lee’s shoulder with Lee’s arm around him.

“Well I mean…it is more confusing in your case.” Ryu chuckles softly. “You’re technically not either of them, really.”

“I guess that is true, but you didn’t have to shit all over my point, Ryu.” Lee teases him, kissing the top of his head softly. It’s like all of a sudden, Ryu only just sees the immense appeal of Lee, the genuineness of him. Whilst before his view of Lee was clouded by his need to see Ice again and eliminate any threat, now he sees Lee as someone of equal importance in Ice’s life. Another protector. Yet, the feeling of Lee’s fingers combing through his hair and his gentle kiss on Ryu’s forehead make him wonder if it really is just Ice that Lee is protecting.

 

* * *

 

 

Power, as it resides, was temporary to all that grasped it. This, Nikaido knew all too well. It had been a long fight, to land on earth after centuries of being absent, to find himself a suitable vessel. Especially with the ever-annoying snag of the vessel having to agree to their body being inhabited. Naturally it followed that few were suitable of such a task and Nikaido had managed to strike lucky when he’d found Kain wandering the streets, hungry and penniless, wanting nothing more than an easier life for himself and his family. It was all too easy, appearing as a brilliant near-blinding white light when Kain was sitting on the pavement of a side street by himself. The best part, however, was Kain’s lack of questions. He seemed so startled by the sight and the voice emanating from the light that he didn’t even ask what exactly his body was needed for or what the angels were doing on earth. Nikaido thinks this is mainly due to the fragility of human life, especially for those who lived on the ‘Nameless street’. Consent was always important after all and Kain had consented entirely to his body being inhabited by Nikaido. Sometimes, in the dead of night, Nikaido swears he can hear Kain’s softer voice in his head, telling him that this isn’t what angels should do, his confusion apparent. That never lasts long, though.

Demon possession was a considerably less strict affair, with consent being a laughable term to most demons. They tended to use the vessels so carelessly that even upon being expelled from the body, by their own volition or not, the original inhabitant would die instantly. The mere thought makes Nikaido wrinkle his nose, especially upon the consideration that angel vessels had to be meticulously chosen to ensure they wouldn’t decay just from a week of inhabitation in their bodies. Yet, here he was, watching a man who had been lucky enough to survive demon possession walking around so carelessly.

 _Ranmaru._ Nikaido smiles to himself, shaking his head. _Of all the people to possess, they chose Ranmaru._

He’d done a fairly decent job of tracking Nikaido by himself, he’d done more than Nikaido would ever have expected from him. Still, he hadn’t tried hard enough to conceal his activities and that was his first mistake. His second was following those he knew had a hand in his possession, the third being him sticking his nose in their current activities. There were few options available to Nikaido for what should be done next. Conveniently, Ranmaru was already entangled with some unimportant group, a dispute over their activities.

“So, you want me to possess him again?” Nikaido’s head turns to the smaller man beside him, his eyes narrowing at the tone the man is using, as though his request is asking too much.

 _Demons._ He scoffs. _So entitled._

“That’s what I asked, isn’t it?” Nikaido replies, his eyebrow raising as though inviting a challenge. “If you’re incapable, Kirinji, don’t bother.”

“I can do it, Nikaido-san.” Kirinji replies hurriedly, bowing his head. The sight makes Nikaido want to smack his eager to please expression off his face but he refrains, more concerned with the task at hand.

“You’ll wait until my signal, are we clear?” Nikaido turns to look at Kirinji, pausing in his forward movements.

“Yes, Nikaido-san.” Kirinji replies obediently, bowing once more.

“If you fail to do as you’re told, when the vessel you’re currently inhabiting that you love so much is returned to the compound, I’ll have it burned. Understand?” Nikaido smiles at the thought, always having thought that the vessel Kirinji is so attached to is ugly, so immature and brutish looking.

“Of course, Nikaido-san, I won’t fail.” Kirinji nods dutifully.

Nikaido resists the urge to snort, partly hoping Kirinji would fail if not for the fact it would impact them all terribly. So he walks ahead at a fast pace, down the side-street that Ranmaru is currently walking down, blissfully unaware. He seems to be at the tail end of a phonecall.

“I know, Hirai. The train station in two hours, I’ve got it.” Ranmaru drawls, the hand not holding the phone tucked away in the pocket of his fur coat. “I’m not gonna be late to a fight I started.”

He continues with some half-hearted ‘yeahs’ and ‘alrights’ before hanging up, shaking his head and pausing momentarily before turning. His eyes widen, darting around no doubt for a fast escape route.

“You.” Ranmaru breathes out, both hands now out of his pockets, fists clenched.

“Me.” Nikaido mocks him, smiling sarcastically. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved in things you had no business involving yourself with.”

“That just tells me I should have involved myself if you’re this scared.” Ranmaru bites back, his eyes wild. If Nikaido were a human, perhaps he would feel intimidated by Ranmaru’s aura and presence. But he’s not.

“You’ll know what feeling scared is like, when all of this is over.” Nikaido waves his hand upwards before Ranmaru has a chance to counter, the black smoke seeming to breeze past Nikaido so quickly that he can barely see it before it enters Ranmaru’s mouth, his entire body convulsing before he stands up straight in a familiarly obedient posture.

“You know what to do.” Nikaido tells him, waving his hand. “It’s what you do best, after all.”

“Yes, Nikaido-san. I won’t let you down.” Kirinji replies, his voice altered by the bass of Ranmaru’s, though still familiar. He walks in the direction of Kokuhakudou station, not looking back.

After all, it was hardly that unbelievable that a man like Ranmaru Hayashi would fight manically and take everyone in his path down in a bloody show of brutality. He’d end up where everyone thought he should belong.

In prison.

 

* * *

 

 

If Kato Shu were to try and describe Hyuga Norihisa, he’d draw a loss every single time. It was hard to pin a man down when he was so adamant about constantly defying expectations and who thrived on being unpredictable. The fourth son was always bound to have a weird weight of expectation on his shoulders and Hyuga was no different in this regard, bound to a family whose failure had been almost crippling. The first time Kato had met Hyuga, most expectations he’d had of him had been shattered in mere moments of meeting eyes with him. Someone so small of stature shouldn’t be so intimidating, Kato thinks, yet Hyuga’s eyes have such an aura about them that it isn’t hard to understand why lesser men crumble before him. Of course, it was different for Kato. Hyuga had been blissfully unaware of who he was or what he’d done when they’d met and had stayed that way a year into their developing friendship.

Kato had not known much of friendship from a young age, having barely remembered his birth mothers face. He supposes this is a consequence of her having been possessed when she was pregnant, exorcising the demon during her painful labour. She’d told him once how she was suspicious of him, that the circumstances of his birth meant he was likely to turn into a twisted and evil half-human, half-demon hybrid. When she’d left him to be adopted, leaving in the dead of night, he could only ever remember the word she’d used to describe him as a demonic hybrid.

 _Katako._ The antichrist.

Since that was no name for a child, he’d instead answered the woman at the adoption agencies question as to what his name was with the only name he could think of from that- Kato. He’d spent years with various families, some with good intentions and others that he’d rather not think about, always wondering when his alleged demonic side would surface, always conscious that his anger and his thrill from fighting would consume him one day, until he became the very thing that once almost lead his mother to kill him when he was an infant.

He wasn’t the only one with a shitty upbringing. Hyuga’s family were an odd bunch at best upon first inspection, but as most people around the Sword region would learn, appearances are often deceiving. Hyuga spoke little of his mother, though Kato knew from Ukyo and Sakyo that she had died when he was very young, like most of the females in Hyuga’s family. They seemed to die of mysterious causes and incidents, a fact that plagued Hyuga’s father and spurred him and Hyuga’s elder brothers into action years ago. Hunting had been their family business until they ended up being disbanded, scattered all over the world in an attempt to run from those they once tried to confront.

Kuryu.

It wasn’t all without its perks, though. Hyuga naturally chose to remain, refusing to run away. He insisted that his fathers work would continue with him, but that he would be successful. They had gathered masses of information, some more useful than others. There was also the most important bit of information at present, that those who were only partially aware of the supernatural underworld of Sword were completely unaware of, the information that would change the way Kuryu would be fought against. That Kuryu was an organisation of angels and demons.

In the grand scheme this seemed minute compared to the information Hyuga’s family had once gathered that led to his life being changed forever. The day where Hyuga had casually told him that _of course he knew what he was, does he look stupid?_ When Kato’s breath had caught in his throat, waiting for the persecution he would undoubtedly face, not expecting Hyuga to jam a syringe into his neck eight times after refilling it with blood on each occasion.

Apparently Hyuga only saw fit to tell him that he was ‘cleansing him’ after he’d already done it, which was Hyuga all over. The blood was purified, Hyuga murmuring what sounded like Latin before Kato’s head burned terribly and his eyes glowed entirely white, his vision blacking out entirely for thirty seconds before Hyuga’s concerned face had hovered in front of him.

“You good?” He asks, moving Kato’s chin to look at him properly, his eyes searching. “How do you feel?”

“My head is fucking pounding, ‘Hisa, what the fuck did you do to me?” Kato’s voice is hoarse, making him aware he’d most likely been shouting for the duration of the procedure.

“I didn’t mean does your head hurt, _idiot_ , I mean do you _feel_ different?” Hyuga sighs, taking his jacket off and moving it over Kato’s shoulders as he begins to shiver violently. He shuffles closer to Hyuga, curling up between Hyuga’s legs with his back resting against Hyuga’s chest. Instead of being pushed away by the usually irritable man, Hyuga’s arms wrap around him comfortably, giving an odd sense of security to Kato that he’s never had, even as a child.

“I guess. It’s hard to explain. It’s like a weight has been lifted?” Kato muses, relaxing instantly when Hyuga’s fingers run through his hair. His eyes droop, overwhelmed and aching. “’Hisa if you carry on with that I’ll fall asleep.”

“Then fall asleep.” He replies quietly, continuing in his ministrations, Kato’s eyes fully closing as he settles back into Hyuga’s arms, his chest feeling lighter than ever.

It was to be expected, though. He was fully human from then on, after all.

 

* * *

 

Let it not be said that Tatsumi Iemura wasn’t a patient man. Dealing with so many males in an enclosed space regardless of species was bound to create its own problems, with every man certain he was the one entitled to the most, that he was the strongest. Angels tended to be worse than the humans that they would berate for their emotionality, insisting that they alone held complete dominion and authority even though they had hierarchies of their own to upkeep. Even Nikaido, who Iemura found was the most reliable of his group, held a deeply rooted superiority complex. That was, until he’d uncovered a few things he’d been ignorant about before.

“Good job, Nikaido.” Iemura nods, having listened to Nikaido’s retelling of events concerning Ranmaru, a loose end that Iemura was just glad to have tied conveniently. There were far too many parties becoming involved in their business and it didn’t bode well for them. Nikaido, dutiful as ever, leaves quietly without imposing his presence any longer. Iemura wonders if Nikaido would’ve sat at that table to begin with, accepted Iemura as his leader, had he known what he does now all those years ago.

That Tatsumi Iemura is a demon.

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, the large parts of text in italic are flashbacks etc.  
> let me know what you think!


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